Advances in understanding lipid metabolism in oligodendrocyte development and neurodegenerative diseases

Lipids are indispensable architectural and functional components of central nervous system (CNS) myelin, with cholesterol, sphingolipids, and phospholipids collectively constituting 70%-80% of myelin membrane composition. Oligodendrocytes (OLs), the sole myelin-producing cells in the CNS, exhibit exquisite metabolic specialization to sustain lifelong myelination and remyelination. Mounting evidence implicates lipid metabolic dysregulation-spanning cholesterol efflux defects, sphingolipid imbalance, and peroxisomal dysfunction-as a convergent mechanism underlying OL differentiation failure and progressive demyelination in neurodegenerative diseases. This review explores the role of lipid metabolic rewiring in governing OPCs fate determination, highlighting three crucial axes: the interplay between mitochondria and peroxisomes in lipid biosynthesis, the potential toxicity of accumulated myelin debris in the microenvironment, and the regulation of OPC differentiation through lactylation modification on lipid metabolism and the interaction between glycolipid metabolisms. We further synthesize emerging therapeutic strategies targeting these pathways, including immunometabolism modulators, precision lipid interventions; diet-microbiome synergies: ketogenic diets combined with butyrate-producing probiotics to amplify endogenous remyelination. By integrating lipidomics datasets and recent clinical trial evidence, we propose a shift from broad metabolic suppression to spatially resolved modulation of lipid flux. This synthesis not only clarifies the dual roles of lipids in OL development and degeneration but also highlights druggable targets for personalized treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.